As evening approached and shadows fell upon Augusta National, it was something unprintable.

Naturally, we speak of Tiger Woods.

Entering Sunday's final round in the 71st Masters, Woods is in position to win his fifth major along the stunningly picturesque golf course, transformed this week into an azalea-lined wind tunnel. Tiger as stalker, however, has not been his preferred method of adding to his hoard of major-championship hardware.

Still, who would have the nerve to bet against the man?

We wouldn't wager against Woods if the ghost of Bobby Jones climbed out of his Atlanta grave clutching an oversized, titanium driver. Apparently, neither would the rest of America. Entering Saturday, one Las Vegas sports book made Woods a 2-1 favorite to win — and he began the third round five shots off the lead.

"Look, Tiger has always got an advantage," said Stuart Appleby, the third-round leader who is trying to become the first Australian to win the Masters. "It's obscene that he has an advantage. It's quite obvious."

Woods' competition never seems to practice a golfer's best friend: carpe diem. Sometimes, it seems as if they are seized by their throats. More than one golfer had a chance to bury Woods in a bunker Saturday, but one by one they managed to keep him hanging around. Quite foolish, but perhaps quite unavoidable, given the confounding conditions that produced wind-blown shots and granite-top greens.

Instead, Woods enters Sunday trailing Appleby by a single stroke, with 13 others within four of the leader. Still, Woods must create his history to capture a 13th major, which would tie him with the legendary Jones: He never has come from behind at the start of the last day to win a major championship.

Entering the 17th, Appleby had retained a four-shot cushion over the world's most highly acclaimed golfer, who is paired with for the final round. The likeable, blond Aussie managed to pare that in half with a triple-bogey that he called a "comedy of errors" that included two not-so-funny bunkers and a less-than-hilarious pine tree.

"We've never seen anything like this," Appleby said, later adding, "The course is ready to slap you in the head if you do anything wrong."

As his Sunday playing partner explained, "You hit quality shots and just get absolutely hosed."

Spoken in true Woodsian verbiage.

Augusta native Vaughn Taylor managed to hold the lead for one hole, before he bogeyed No. 16. Justin Rose of England lost ground on two of his three closing holes and is tied with Woods. Two shots behind Appleby are Taylor, Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Zach Johnson. Bradley Dredge, a Welshman, is three behind the leader, followed by Tim Clark of South Africa, Luke Donald of England and Jim Furyk.

Earlier in the day, with howling winds whipping a dried-out course, and patrons bundled in wooly mittens, cashmere scarves and, in some extreme cases, fur coats, the world's top-ranked golfer slowly advanced on his adversaries.

By mid-afternoon, he had pared the lead to three strokes.

Then two.

Unfortunately, Woods jeopardized his chances of leading after 54 holes with his last two holes. By the end of his round, he was left gazing at the giant white scoreboard off the 18th green and wondering what might have been. He bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18 for a 72 and a three-day 219 total.

When Stewart Cink said after his round that, "No one will be unscathed here," following his second consecutive 75, he knew that meant the incomparable Woods, too. Slamming clubs and sometimes cursing during his up-and-down round, Woods, clearly aggravated, told a CBS television audience that, "I was just out there plodding along."

"It was one of the hardest rounds we've ever played here," he said.

No golfer has won the Masters with an over-par score since Jack Burke won in 1956, but it appears that could be the case Sunday, when temperatures are expected to remain quite cool and conditions blustery, as they were Saturday.

"It was like trying to land a golf ball on your driveway, but your driveway has mounds on them and they stick the pin near the mounds," said Rich Beem, who shot 75. "Sometimes, you just have to giggle about it. The wind was blowing from all different directions. Look at those drives on No. 1. Those guys are going to be hitting 4- and 3-irons and hybrids into that green.

"Best of luck. I'm glad I'm done."

Woods, for whom good fortune typically is a residue of fabulous play, may find himself trying to reach for every talisman within his reach come Sunday. Augusta National has flummoxed an entire field for three days, leaving them gasping at their formidable challenge in the frosty spring air. Yes, a little luck could assist even the great Tiger Woods, whose spirits should be buoyed by the notion of this favorable omen: The winner of every Masters since 1991 has come out of the final-day pairing.

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